The good news Sunday afternoon was that Bucky Irving and Chris Godwin looked like their old selves after prolonged absences from the Tampa Bay Bucs’ lineup.
The not-so-good news: The rest of the Bucs often looked, well, old.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThey did, however, have just enough juice to survive 20-17 against a struggling Arizona Cardinals team that took a must-win game for Tampa Bay down to the wire at Raymond James Stadium. And much of that was courtesy of the elusive, tackle-busting style of Irving, who provided the spark that has been missing the past seven games while he was sidelined by a shoulder and foot injury.
“It’s a blessing – like I always say, I don’t take these games for granted,” Irving said. “Every chance I get to go out there and compete with my guys, I’m going to give it my all. … I go in there when my number is called, and when the ball is in my hand, I’m going to make plays,”
Even with a limited role in his first game back, No. 7 bucked up recently sagging team spirits with 61 yards on 17 carries, and 20 yards on two catches, while notching his first touchdown of the season.
“It was good to see him get worked in there and as the weeks go on and on, we’ll create more problems with him, Rachaad (White) and Sean (Tucker,)” said Bucs head coach Todd Bowles. “So I was just happy to see him out there.”
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementStill, the Cardinals stayed in it and fought back thanks to the gutsy play of backup quarterback and NFL journeyman Jacoby Brissett, bringing Arizona within three points with just under five minutes left in the game. Only when his 4th and 2 pass was broken up at his 17 with 42 seconds left could the Bucs exhale with a surprisingly tight victory.
Coupled with the Carolina Panthers’ win over the Los Angeles Rams – the same team that annihilated the Bucs last Sunday – Tampa Bay's less-than-convincing win over 3-9 Arizona signals that the road to the NFC South title could still contains some potholes.
With five games remaining, the now 7-5 Bucs hold a half-game lead over the 7-6 Panthers and still play them twice: in three more weeks, Dec. 21, on the road; and on the final game of the regular season, Jan. 4, in Tampa. Suddenly, the division title, which for much of the season had seemed like a sure thing for the Bucs, could very well be up for grabs.
Though their victory over the Cardinals was far from convincing, it was still the outcome the Bucs badly needed after consecutive losses to the Patriots, Bills and Rams.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“It was good to get back in the win column,” Bowles said. “But we got it. The guys played tough, they fought hard and it was hard-earned win.”
It came after a week of consternation and confusion regarding the injured left shoulder sustained by Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield in the disastrous loss to the Rams. On Sunday, however, Mayfield showed no ill effects from the mild sprain, completing 18 of 28 passes for 194 yards and a touchdown, though a drive that could have run out the clock fizzled in the final minutes and gave the Cardinals one last shot.
“We’ll take all the wins we can get,” he said. “We would love to have finished on our own terms during that four-minute situation – run the clock out on our own. Didn’t make those plays, but defense and special teams were dialed in all day, so that helps us.”
Mayfield again made a handful of untimely overthrows, something that has dogged him during the second half of the season. That said, one of his passes should have been a seven-yard touchdown in the second quarter to Godwin, who, in his only blemish of an otherwise strong showing (three catches for 78 yards – his most since Week 6 of the 2024 season), simply dropped a perfectly placed ball.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Bucs settled for a 3-0 lead on a 25-yard field goal by Chase McLaughlin, who would later give his team crucial breathing room for a 57-yarder in the fourth quarter for a 20-10 lead with 8:58 to play. For the record, it was McLaughlin’s team-record ninth field goal this season of 50 yards or longer and ultimately proved to be the winning margin.
The one Mayfield pass that went for a touchdown of course, wasn’t thrown to any of the usual suspects. It was a two-yard toss to 6-foot-5, 320-pound offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs, who quietly entered the game seven minutes after McLaughlin’s first field goal. The Bucs already had two touchdowns negated on the drive by penalties – the first a 15-yard pass to White and the second was a one-yard pitch to Irving, with each score negated by offensive holding calls.
But on a third and goal from the 2, Wirfs quietly reported to the officials as an eligible receiver and found himself wide open as Mayfield looked right, then turned back to the left and found his all alone at the goal line.
“All week, (Mayfield) has been giving me floaters, and he kind of thew me a bullet,” Wirfs said. “So I was kind of nervous. I was just like, ‘Don’t drop it.’ … I saw (safety) Budda Baker run to the right and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, you might throw it me. I (worried) that Budda was going to smoke me – I thought maybe he had read (the play). But no – it was awesome. Catching a touchdown in the NFL is a pretty cool feeling.”
The offensive line congratulates Wirfs on his first NFL touchdown. @ Nathan Ray SeebeckIn fact, the last time Wirfs experienced this particular thrill was in high school. “I blocked a punt and the scooped it up and scored,” he said. “So it was nice to get back in the end zone.”
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBucs center Graham Barton said the line had discussed how it would react if Wirfs wound up scoring: “All week, we talked about ‘If it happens, which it won’t, how are we going to celebrate?’ But we all just ended up hugging in the corner.”
In the end, the real celebration was simply walking off the field with a win – one that keeps the Bucs enjoying at least a share of the division lead in 71 of the last 85 weeks, dating back to 2021.
“Sloppy at times, but you know, we had some nice drives,” Barton said. “It’s just about being more consistent throughout four quarters. And it’ll be something to work on this week.”
Defensively, the Bucs played solidly overall. Though Brissett moved the ball well, completing 29 of 40 passes for 301 yards and two touchdowns, he suffered a costly interception on Arizona’s opening drive. Starting at his 7, he moved the offense downfield methodically in 11 plays to a second and four at Tampa Bay’s 20. But cornerback Jamel Dean deflected his short pass over the middle, and safety Antoine Winfield tucked it away for the interception.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThen, two plays into the second half, nose tackle Vita Vea punched the ball loose from tailback Bam Knight, knocking it right into the awaiting hands of safety Tykee Smith for a fumble recovery.
That gave them 18 takeaways for the season, the sixth-most in the NFL – with their 11 interceptions ranking as the seventh highest. The defense also limited Arizona to 95 yards rushing, their ninth game this season in which they held an opponent to under 100 yards, tied for the most in the league.
Linebacker Sirvocea Dennis led the unit with 11 tackles, eight of them solo – and was the player who broke up Brissett’s final pass, allowing the Bucs to run out the final seconds.
“He’s really becoming a leader for us on defense – understanding what’s being called and telling the guys what to do, and what’s being run,” Bowles said. “Guys are really gravitating to him, and it’s great to see him find his comfort zone.”
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementYet the big story was Irving and, to a slightly lesser degree, Godwin, who made grabs of 31 and 22 yards and took some of the heat off rookie Emeka Egbuka, who had four catches for 42 yards and maintained his team-leading totals: now 52 catches for 791 yards.
“It feels really good to just get back in the flow a little bit, start to see some signs of what I’m accustomed to,” said Godwin, making his second straight start after missing extended time with a fibula injury. “Obviously, I know it’s been a long road for me, so just being able to play and be health, I’m grateful for. And to be able to contribute in the way I did, especially in the win, it makes me feel good.”
Godwin once again making his presence felt in the passing attack. @ Nathan Ray SeebeckThe Bucs have to feel good, as well, that their next two games come against division stragglers, New Orleans, which fell to 2-10 with a loss to the Dolphins, and Atlanta, now 4-8 after falling to the Jets.
But Carolina, after a bye, also faces the Saints and then hosts the Bucs. So as Sunday’s outcome against Arizona demonstrated, the race for the NFC South title is far from settled.
AdvertisementAdvertisement
